He's Everything
by makura moderski
Summary: *complete* Sakura sits at the memorial stone reflecting on her relationship with Naruto who died protecting her because he loved her, but why? He knew she didn't return those feelings so why did he do it for her? Sakura sits by the stone dwelling on this.


He's Everything

**Disclaimer**: The characters depicted, settings, and some terminology in this fan work are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. The views and opinions in this fan based work in no way reflect the views or opinions of Masashi Kishimoto. This is a fanfiction written purely for entertainment purposes and the author of this fan work receives no profit in writing this.

**SECONDARY DISCLAIMER: **The lyrics used in this fan based work are the sole property of Vertical Horizons (Everything You Want). I make no claim to the lyrics and have gained no profit from using them, and have used them for entertainment purposes only.

**WARNING:** Contains content not suitable for children containing but not limited to violence, dark themes, and character death.

Summary: Sakura sits at the memorial stone reflecting upon herself and everything she thought she'd wanted in life only to realize it wasn't even close to what she wanted.

_**Somewhere there's speaking  
Its already coming in  
Oh and it's rising at the back of your mind  
You never could get it  
Unless you were fed it  
Now you're here and you don't know why**_

"Uzumaki Naruto…"

The words rolled painfully over my tongue almost choking my breath from me. I'd been sitting here all morning, and no matter how hard I willed my legs to move I couldn't. Why did it have to be this way? I never imagined it would end this way. I could feel my body shaking, but it didn't seem to matter anymore.

The icy temperature of the stone stung my fingers as I traced his name. It just didn't feel real yet. Kakashi had advised me to go home long ago, and that it wasn't my fault, but he was wrong. Everything that led to this was my fault.

_**But under skinned knees and the skid marks  
Past the places where you used to learn  
You howl and listen  
Listen and wait for the  
Echoes of angels who won't return**_

I sat knowing that my most serious injuries were minor abrasions and cuts. Kakashi was seriously injuried and Sai's condition had been shaky, but they both pulled through. Naruto however hadn't been so lucky. I cradled my head in hands and felt the wave of sobs begin to wrack my body once again.

"Why?" I screamed at the stone as though I expected an answer.

It was the question I never got to ask him. I wanted desperately to know why he did what he did. I tried to ask, but I just couldn't speak at the time. I was too shocked, by what I saw. He actually smiled. How could he smile when he was on the brink of death?

My eyes wandered to the large crimson stain on my shirt. Naruto's blood. The metallic smell turned my stomach and I almost lost it. My body shook and hot tears streamed my face.

"Naruto…I'm….s-sorry…" I whimpered pathetically.

It was our first S-ranked mission together, and things were going much better than expected, until a large group of missing-nin showed up. We were way out matched, but there was no way out. We had to fight. It wasn't long before we were forced to separate and fight our own battles.

I fell behind as usual and was in way over my head fighting rogue ninja. Kakashi and Sai were trapped with their battles unable to help. It was Naruto who came to my aid like countless times before. Times that I never really appreciated like I should have.

The rogue ninja was about to deliver a fatal blow when HE jumped in front shielding me from danger. He left his back to the rogue ninja as he shielded me, his fox smile never left his face. I was horror struck and too stunned to even breath let alone manage to speak.

He stood before me with his arms out stretched and a chakra blade through his chest. The air was sucked from my lungs. Why? Why couldn't I just been a little stronger? I trained so hard so that I could better my team, but in the end I'm just a burden.

Kakashi and Sai finally made it and drove the ninja away, but it was too late for Naruto. I tried desperately to heal him, and I refused to give up on it. I cried the whole time unable to talk to him. My head was spinning and my heart was pounding.

"Hehe…don't cry Sakura-chan. I'm glad to have protected you. I….Love…You…."

I watched in shock and sorrow as he tried to lift his head but was unable. His vitals were fast fading, and with his last bit of strength he ripped the necklace the Hokage had given him from his neck and extended it towards me. I grasped it shakily in my hand.

I watched as his eyes slowly faded and his hand went cold. I screamed as loud as I could. I charged my hands with as much chakra as I could get into them and focused it all to his wound, but he was gone, and all I could do was cry.

I still don't understand why? Why me? It was common knowledge that Hinata had confessed her love to him, but he refused her, and claimed he loved me….but why? I never gave him the time of day. I only ever thought of Sasuke. I just don't understand why it had to be me he loved.

At that moment I hated myself. I could barely stand to look at his name engraved on the stone before me. I'm not worthy of his sacrifice. The guilt washed over me and it was suffocating.

_**He's everything you want  
He's everything you need  
He's everything inside of you  
That you wish you could be  
He says all the right things  
At exactly the right time  
But he means nothing to you  
And you don't know why**_

I sat in front of the stone for another few hours and spent it between yelling angrily and sobbing uncontrollably. The past washed over me in waves that brought both comfort and pain, which both bred guilt within me.

I remember the day he masqueraded as Sasuke to get closer to me.

"_Wow it really is a big forehead…perfect for kissing."_

It wasn't until years later that I found out it really was Naruto who said that to me. Back then I was so self-concious of my large forehead, but what he said made me feel better. I bit back a scream of frustration. When I found out what he did instead of telling him how much I liked what he said, I berated him for tarnishing Sasuke's image. How could do such a thing? All he wanted to do was make me happy, but I turned it into guilt for him, and sadness.

I was horrible to him and yet he still loved me…

_**You're waiting for someone  
To put you together  
You're waiting for someone to push you away  
There's always another wound to discover  
There's always something more you wish he'd say**_

It was always about Sasuke. Poor Naruto…it must have hurt so much. Why did things end like this? Why did it have to be Sasuke that I loved? Why couldn't I return Naruto's feelings?

Sasuke would never be kind and caring towards me. Yet Naruto was always there for me pushing himself to keep up. In reality it should have been me training to keep up. If I had Naruto wouldn't have died and Sasuke wouldn't have left Konoha for Orochimaru. Everything that's gone wrong up until this point could have been prevented if only I had been stronger. How could he love someone like me?

_**But you'll just sit tight  
And watch it unwind  
It's only what you're asking for  
And you'll be just fine  
With all of your time  
It's only what you're waiting for**_

Time seemed to pass slowly as I just stared at the name on the stone, and soon I retreated back into my mind. I never paid him any attention even though he strived so hard for it. How could I have been so cruel? Why couldn't I just love him back? Even now I don't feel the same, but I want too. I wish I loved him as much as I love Sasuke, but I can't…you can't choose who you love, but I wish I could.

_**He's everything you want  
He's everything you need  
He's everything inside of you  
That you wish you could be  
He says all the right things  
At exactly the right time  
But he means nothing to you  
And you don't know why**_

I remember I didn't even believe Sasuke when he told me it was Naruto who had saved me from Gaara.

"You should have seen him Sakura. He displayed a power I'd never seen. He fought tooth and nail to save you!"

"Nauh!"

"Believe what you want."

He was always there for me and Sasuke where was he? He left me for power! How could I have been so stupid? Naruto was the one, not Sasuke. I spent my life _living_ for Sasuke, someone who wouldn't even look at me, let alone take a fatal blow for me.

But, Naruto spent his life trying to prove himself to me and died protecting me.

"But why? Why can't I love Naruto?"

Hour passed and I couldn't go home, nor did I want to go. I couldn't leave him behind. Even as the rain began to fall I stayed glue to my spot. I placed my hand on the stone next to his name. I wasn't leaving him alone, not after all he'd done for me.

Kakashi showed up late that night, and I could sense the sorrow pouring off him. He tried to pick me up off the ground, but I wasn't going anywhere.

"Sakura, you have to go home."

"No. If I had died Naruto would be here. He wouldn't leave me alone."

"Sakura, he's gone but your still here."

"I have to make it up to him somehow…he l-loved me but I couldn't return his feelings…I wanted to, but I.."

Kakashi shook his head. "You really believe you didn't love him? If you didn't love him would you be wasting away in front of this stone?" he replied leaving her to think for awhile.

A small smile crept across my wet face as I realized it had been Naruto all the time. It finally dawned on her that maybe she did love Naruto. The fact that she was sitting here and that she wanted nothing more than to be able to return his feelings proved that in some way she did love Naruto.

"I love you too." She whispered after a few minutes of soul searching.

Kakashi watched her curiously from the tree nearby the stone. He felt her chakra flare and watched her carve something onto the stone, and then without warning she slit her wrists. His eye widened in shock and horror. He never should have left her alone like that.

He jumped down from the tree quickly and was by her side within seconds. She looked up at him smiling. He felt the guilt welling inside him. His eyes traveled to the pool of blood underneath her, and his gaze switched to the stone. He found out what she wrote before, she'd carved her own name into the stone next to Naruto's.

"Kaka-sensei, I figured it out. I love h-him…going t-to tell him…"

He noticed that she was smiling, like he'd never seen her smile before. It was a smile of true happiness even as she lye dying. He held her hand and prayed that she'd meet up with Naruto in the afterlife.

"Obito, please look after them."

AN: This was almost completely re-written.


End file.
